![]() Thoreau was motivated in part by his disgust with slavery and the Mexican-American War. ![]() Civil Disobedience is an essay that argues that individuals should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences, and that they have a duty to avoid allowing such acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, a central theme of the American Romantic Period. By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. It details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years in a cabin he built near Walden Pond. ![]() In cases where the two are at odds with one another, the individual must follow his conscience and, if necessary, disregard human law. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self reliance. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreaus basic premise is that a higher law than civil law demands the obedience of the individual.Human law and government are subordinate. ![]()
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